New study would allow BWI Rail Station to expand, but project still needs funding

A plan to rebuild the BWI Rail Station with another track and reconfigured platforms is one step closer to development.

After completing an environmental study, the Federal Railroad Administration has given the go-ahead for a project that would add a fourth track to 9 miles of the Northeast corridor surrounding BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.

The roughly $600 million construction project would involve multiple partners, including Amtrak and the federal government, said Maryland Transit Administration spokeswoman Sandy Arnette.

While no funding is currently available for the project, MTA does have an $8 million project funded for construction of structural improvements aimed at making the BWI station more passenger-friendly, Arnette said.That project will provide several upgrades, including the addition of a pedestrian bridge to connect the station to the adjacent parking garage.

"The current rail station and infrastructure at BWI was built more than 30 years ago and does not support today's needs or the region's expected growth," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. "The completion of the environmental review for this project brings BWI one step closer to a safer rail station, reduced rail congestion and increased reliability."

The FRA, Maryland Department of Transportation and MTA had been studying improvements to the station. The plan to build at the station would call for a new Track A between Grove Interlocking, south of the airport near Odenton, and Winans Interlocking, north of the airport near Halethorpe.

There would be an additional platform and a new BWI Rail Station building.

In April of 2015, an environmental assessment was launched to determine if building there would cause any negative impacts. The FRA has since issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for the project. This would allow for final design and construction.

In 2011, the Maryland Department of Transportation requested $300 million in federal aid for the improvement project, but did not get it.

Currently, there are only three tracks between the Grove and Winans. The addition of a fourth track would increase rail capacity and reliability, officials said.

Amtrak and MARC trains provide passenger rail service at the station, both stopping there up to 148 times daily, according to the report. There are 13,600 Amtrak and 19,000 MARC daily passengers passing through the station. It is Amtrak's 13th busiest station in the country.

Greg Pecoraro, executive director of the BWI Business Partnership Inc., said expanding the station will benefit the central Maryland region.

"It's an important part of the transportation network here," Pecoraro said. "With the airport and a lot of major employers nearby and other transportation lines, (the expansion) can and should play an important role in upgrading access to the whole region."

The U.S. Department of Transportation expects the Northeast region, which includes Baltimore, will add an additional 18.4 million people over the next 30 years, a 35.2 percent growth from 2010.

"A new BWI Rail Station will allow both airline and rail passengers to get to their destinations safely, reliably and efficiently," FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg said in a statement. "Today's announcement is a significant step toward achieving that goal."